WOW – There is a lot going on in downtown Elgin for 2015
and here is a sneak peak!

The DNA, City of Elgin and downtown Elgin businesses and organizations are very busy planning events for Elgin’s central business district, so Save the Date and don’t miss a thing! More to come! And remember…There is always plenty of free parking in downtown Elgin!

The Downtown Neighborhood Association of Elgin (DNA), a non-for-profit volunteer based organization, has partnered with Seed Savers Exchange to offer 6 varieties of heirloom seed collections with four seed packets in each collection. So whichever collection tickles your fancy – from Big Salad Bowl to Container Magic or Kid’s favorite, Pizza Party, Heritage Garden or Flower Passion – you are sure to find one or more to be the perfect addition to your garden which will offer you fresh flowers and vegetables – right in your own back yard! Each collection costs only $10 and 40% goes directly to the Harvest Market!

The deadline for complete orders is Monday, March 17 – St. Patrick’s Day – so think green;) The turnaround time for the seeds to be delivered will be two weeks and you will be called when they are in and ready for pick up.

The Downtown Neighborhood Association is excited to announce that BMO Harris Bank is committing an additional $3,000 towards the funding of the Downtown Elgin Harvest Market’s Link Double Couponing program.

Throughout the 2013 season, Link customers can swipe their Link/EBT cards at the Harvest Market’s information booth to be eligible to receive up to an additional $20 in Link tokens to shop with per week, courtesy of a generous financial contribution from BMO Harris Bank.

“It’s important that we all think about how we can further provide assistance to those with the greatest of needs and being able to provide families with fresh produce that’s so important to wellness is a great benefit to our community,” said Jeff Blanchette, BMO Harris Bank Elgin Market President.

The Link program at the Downtown Elgin Harvest Market, one of only two such farmer’s market programs in all of Kane County, is made possible thru a partnership with BMO Harris Bank and Making Kane County Fit for Kids Funders Consortium.

The Downtown Elgin Harvest Market takes place every Thursday thru October 3 from 9am-2pm at 200 N. Grove Avenue, across from the Gail Borden Public Library, The Centre of Elgin and The Hemmens. For more information about the Harvest Market, visit www.ElginHarvestMarket.com.

What can today’s youth accomplish thru volunteerism if they put their minds to it?

That question was answered as 42 high school seniors and youth leaders from Minneapolis-based Students Today Leaders Forever brought their volunteer bus tour to downtown Elgin on a rainy Friday afternoon.

Among the projects the students tackled included folding, addressing, stuffing and stamping over 750 letters to local residents for the City of Elgin 4th of July Parade – Presented by Advocate Sherman Hospital; delivering over 200 posters and memos to downtown businesses, preparing over 250 Downtown Elgin gift certificates; and folding 300 brochures for the Downtown Elgin Harvest Market. They also consumed 5 large Danny’s Pizzas as a token of DNA’s appreciation for their volunteer efforts..

After posing for a group photo outside the Elgin Tower Building and before departing for their next volunteer project in Schaumburg, the student leaders lead the entire group of students an impromptu “Yeah Buddy” cheer for DNA staff and the businesses of Downtown Elgin.

Thank you to YWCA Elgin Events Coordinator and DNA Board Member Deirdre White for coordinating the students’ visit. For more information about Students Today Leaders Forever, visit www.stlf.net.

The Downtown Neighborhood Association (DNA) of Elgin, with assistance from community partners, is excited to launch the Downtown Elgin Harvest Market’s new kids program called “Rainbowland: An Adventure at the Market”. This nine-week kids program runs each and every Thursday from June 13 thru August 15 (excluding July 4), at the Downtown Elgin Harvest Market, 200 N. Grove Avenue.

“This is an effort to promote and educate students (K – 6) about healthy eating, being active, and related activities with additional focus on sustainability and agriculture, plus time to shop and talk with vendors,” says Harvest Market Manager Jennifer Benson.

“Rainbowland will feature three 20 minutes sessions from active fitness fun, to cooking demos, to an interactive activity, as well as fun stuff to bring home.”

Rainbowland: An Adventure at the Market starts at Noon each week and is open to children at the market either supervised by adults or in organized kids groups. Currently dates available for larger kid groups of 15 students or more include June 20, 27, and August 8.

The Downtown Elgin Harvest Market’s “Rainbowland: An Adventure at the Market” is sponsored in part by Bright Horizons and organized by Boys & Girls Club, Centre of Elgin, Chef Quincy & Northern Illinois University students, Elgin Area History Museum, Elgin Public Museum, Greater Elgin Family Care Center, Side Street Studio Arts, and YWCA Elgin.

For more details about weekly events, vendor information, live entertainment and attractions at the 2013 Downtown Elgin Harvest Market, visit www.ElginHarvestMarket.com. To sign up or volunteer for the kids program please contact Harvest Market manager Jennifer Benson at 847-488-1456 or email elginharvestmarket@gmail.com.

The Downtown Neighborhood Association is excited to open its 14th season of the Downtown Elgin Harvest Market – Presented by Alexian Brothers Health System on Thursday, June 6 with brand new market hours from 9am – 2pm. Located prominently in downtown Elgin at 200 N. Grove Avenue, this weekly outdoor farmer’s market will run for eighteen consecutive weeks thru October 3.

– WRMN-AM 1410 will be broadcasting live at the market with their Radio Shopping Show;

– Thanks in part to a grant from the Florence B. and Cornelia A. Palmer Foundation, the Harvest Market will now promote local musicians weekly at a daytime venue in downtown Elgin with live entertainment at the market. Rock N Bach will be performing 10am – 11:30am and Noah Gabriel will perform noon – 2pm.

– NEW! Along with accepting Link, Debit, and Credit cards, in partnership with BMO Harris Bank and the Fit For Kids Funders Consortium, the Harvest Market will now offer a double couponing value for Link customers. Customers using their Link cards at the market will now be matched up to $20.00 in additional Link tokens per person per week while funding lasts;

– Two weekly local artist booths will be set up with different art exhibits and art for sale – organized by Art for All and Side Street Studio Arts;

– The Elgin Fire Department will also be on hand weekly with fire trucks and various fire fighting and rescue equipment to give the public the opportunity to meet and mingle with their local firefighters and become familiar with the tools of their trade;

NEW!“Rainbowland: An Adventure at the Market” begins Thursday, June 13 running for nine weeks from noon – 2pm each week featuring kids programming catered to children from grades Pre through 6th grade. Sponsored in part by Bright Horizons, this program will feature three 20 minutes sessions from active fitness fun, to cooking demos, to an interactive activity as well as fun stuff to bring home!

For more details about weekly events, vendor information, live entertainment and attractions at the 2013 Downtown Elgin Harvest Market, visit www.ElginHarvestMarket.com.

In partnership with BMO Harris Bank and Making Kane County Fit for Kids, the Downtown Neighborhood Association invites Downtown Elgin Harvest Market Link/EBT customers to double their shopping pleasure this season with the market’s new Link Double Couponing program.

Beginning June 6, Harvest Market shoppers can swipe their Link/EBT cards at the market’s information booth to be eligible to receive up to an additional $20 in Link tokens to shop with per week, courtesy of a generous financial contribution from BMO Harris Bank.

“The Downtown Elgin Harvest Market helps to fill a critical need in our community,” said BMO Harris Bank Market President Jeff Blanchette. “I am proud that we are able to assist The Downtown Neighborhood Association in their mission to help residents get access to locally grown and sustainably produced food while providing an outlet for educational opportunities on sustainable practices and healthy living.”

The Downtown Elgin Harvest Market’s Link/EBT program, is one of only two such farmer’s market programs in all of Kane County, and is made possible by Making Kane County Fit for Kids thru a grant funded by the Fit For Kids’ Funders Consortium.

“Our Harvest Market has been so blessed to have great partners in the local community, like BMO Harris Bank and the Fit for Kids Funders Consortium, who have made it a priority to help all area residents have access to local foods no matter their economic status,” said Harvest Market Manager Jennifer Benson.

The 14th season of the Downtown Elgin Harvest Market begins Thursday, June 6 with brand new hours from 9am-2pm at 200 N. Grove Avenue across from the Gail Borden Public Library, The Centre of Elgin and The Hemmens. The market runs every Thursday thru October 3. For more information about the Harvest Market, visit www.ElginHarvestMarket.com.

Before the Downtown Elgin Harvest Market – Presented by Alexian Brothers Health System gets popping this June, the Downtown Neighborhood Association (DNA) of Elgin is taking the Harvest Market on a May road trip by offering two “Pop Up” Markets to preview the upcoming season.

The “Pop Up” Markets will take place on Thursday, May 9 from 10am-1pm, at the newly opened Alexian Brothers Women & Children’s Hospital in Hoffman Estates, and again on Thursday, May 16 from 10am-1pm inside the pavilion of the Grand Victoria Casino, 250 S. Grove Avenue in downtown Elgin.

These Pop Up Markets will be a sampler size version of our normal market to give the public a taste of just a few of the many fresh, local products available at the Downtown Elgin Harvest Market, which opens Thursday, June 6, 9am – 2pm at 200 N. Grove Avenue in Downtown Elgin and runs every Thursday for 18 weeks.

For more information about the Downtown Elgin Harvest Market, contact Market Manager Jennifer Benson at 847-488-1456 or visit www.ElginHarvestMarket.com.

For more information about the Downtown Neighborhood Association or upcoming Downtown Elgin special events, contact Jason Pawlowski at 847-488-1456 or visit www.DowntownElgin.com.

In honor of National Volunteer Week, the Downtown Neighborhood Association (DNA) of Elgin would like to recognize our volunteers who have been at the very heart of DNA’s downtown revitalization efforts for more than 15 years.

Today we are recognizing the members of our Downtown Elgin Harvest Market Committee.

To all of our returning and potential new market vendors, we welcome you as we kick off our 2013 season of the Downtown Elgin Harvest Market with our new vendor applications! This year’s season will run 18 weeks, beginning Thursday, June 6 and will run through Thursday, October 3 with our new times 9am – 2pm.

The Downtown Elgin Harvest Market has been organized by the Downtown Neighborhood Association of Elgin since 2000, and has been a growing event of opportunities for small businesses, community organizations, the arts community and a place for its residents to shop and enjoy!

Our Mission:

The Harvest market offers and encourages locally grown and sustainably produced food, provides an outlet for educational opportunities on sustainable practices and healthy living, supports local artists and community organizations, and cultivates a welcoming and entertaining public space atmosphere for people to shop.
To that end the Market strives to continue to:

Establish a venue for local and regional growers, producers, and artisans to sell their product

Encourage one on one interaction

Serve as a viable economic opportunity for small local enterprises

Foster an environment of accessibility with location, hours, a token system for customers to use their Link and credit cards, and kid friendly activities

Provide an educational forum for consumers of all ages and backgrounds when it comes to food, local, health, and sustainability

Enhance the community atmosphere, networking, and socialization with music, places to sit, and activities to engage in

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Jennifer Fukala on Elgin Today

A Special thanks to Mayor David Kaptain for inviting our Executive Director, Jennifer Fukala, to join him for an interview with Jeffery Myers to discuss the many positive happenings and events Elgin has to offer. Please watch the whole video or if you're short on time, catch Jennifer around the 13 minute mark. Thank you!

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